Who is Godzilla’s greatest ally: Rodan or Anguirus? The title can only belong to either of these two kaiju, who have fought beside Godzilla in some of his most famous battles. Both were key players in the Showa series of Godzilla movies. Anguirus first encountered Godzilla as enemy in 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again, whereas Rodan battled him briefly in 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster before teaming up with him at the behest of Mothra.
Since the 1960s, Godzilla has joined forces with a number of his fellow kaiju, including Rodan and Anguirus. He’s also enjoyed one-time-only team-ups with King Caesar, Jet Jaguar, and Moguera in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Godzilla vs. Megalon, and Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla respectively. Others who have joined him in battle at one point or another include Gorosaurus, Kumonga, and his son, Minilla. Baragon, Manda, and Varan were all on-hand for the battle with Ghidorah in Destroy All Monsters, but the three didn’t actually participate in the fighting. Another notable ally worth mentioning is of course Mothra, but she’s actually been an enemy of his in several of her movie appearances. With the exception of her big sacrifice in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, she’s only been of minimal help to Godzilla in battle.
Out of all the allies mentioned above, the most important of them all are undoubtedly Rodan and Anguirus, but there’s some debate over which one is the strongest and the best of the two. To properly answer that question, how they’ve been treated in Toho’s movies must be taken into consideration. First of all, it should be noted that Rodan has aided Godzilla more than Anguirus has. Godzilla was able to count on Anguirus in only two movies, Destroy All Monsters and Godzilla vs. Gigan, the latter of which being a movie where Anguirus was his sole partner in combat. Rodan, on the other hand, fought beside him in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Invasion of Astro-Monster, and Destroy All Monsters. He also sacrificed himself to save Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.
There’s also the matter of how they stack up in battle and how they compare to Godzilla himself. In Godzilla vs. Gigan, Angurius had the feel of a loyal sidekick. When the two went up against Ghidorah and Gigan in what was most of the intense monster battles ever put to the big screen, Anguirus was around to help Godzilla execute some effective team-up attacks, but wasn’t really able to handle either monster on his own. It was Godzilla who carried the fight and ultimately delivered victories over both villains.
The situation with Rodan was a bit different. While Anguirus is the Robin to Godzilla’s Batman in Godzilla vs. Gigan, Rodan is much more of an equal partner to the King of the Monsters in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and Invasion of Astro-Monster. This is indicated both by how the humans talked about them, and how Rodan fared in battle. Rodan fought well against King Ghidorah, and though it’s hard to say if he’s just as powerful as the Showa Godzilla, he definitely felt like a kaiju of comparable power and a force to be reckoned with in his own right. So while Anguirus is unquestionably a reliable friend that Godzilla can depend on in times of need, it’s Rodan who deserves the title of Godzilla’s greatest ally.
Key Release Dates
Godzilla Vs Kong
Release Date:2021-03-31
